PUBLIC FORUM BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.All this talk about Nick Berg Nicholas Berg (April 2, 1978 – May 7, 2004) was an American businessman seeking telecommunications work in Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded in May 2004 by militants. The CIA claimed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi personally beheaded Berg. is ridiculous. Just how many innocent men, women and children have we blown the heads off? Maybe some of them were relatives of the five men standing behind Berg. What would you do if you were in their shoes? We invaded a country that had no real defense to speak of. We destroyed their towns and cities, killed their people and we are disgusted by their retaliation. It was the Saudis that blew up the World Trade Center, not the Iraqis. It was the North Koreans that had the WMDs, not the Iraqis. The Iraqis and other Muslims believe in paradise and virgins; we believe in war. I was in a conflict called Vietnam (it wasn't a war), and be sure that if I was given a choice, I'd take the virgin. Paradise? That's in Central California Central California can refer to one of several divisions or regions of the U.S state of California:
- Greg Beckman North Hollywood Terms of engagement Re ``It's wrong'' (Your Opinions, May 14): Chuck Heinold finds war distasteful and ``boneheaded'' - and accuses me of the sort of thinking that was ``at the Spanish Inquisition Spanish Inquisition harsh tribunal established in 1478 to dispose of heretics, Protestants, and Jews. [Eur. Hist.: Collier’s, X, 259] See : Persecution ... Nazi deathcamps ... and the minds of the men who flew into the trade towers on 9-11.'' The last is telling. The 9-11 atrocity set the terms of engagement:there are no innocents, no noncombatants, no civilians. The kind of thinking that Heinold abhors was also in Jimmy Doolittle's mind over Japan, and in the minds of the pilots over Dresden, and in the minds of the Los Alamos Los Alamos (lôs ăl`əmōs', lŏs), uninc. town (1990 pop. 11,455), seat of Los Alamos co., N central N.Mex. It is on a long mesa extending from the Jemez Mts. The U.S. scientists and crew of the Enola Gay Enola Gay B-52 that dropped the Hiroshima A-bomb. [U.S. Hist.: WB, W:405] See : Destruction . It is the sort of thinking that wins wars. Heinold evidently prefers defeat. - James F. Glass Chatsworth We are all human Isn't it interesting that anyone, anywhere, would publicly condone the bad behavior of either side for any reason in this current war? That is the problem. We are all human beings here, and we have been divided by country, state, county, city, gender, age, etc., and those of us who just want to live and let live shouldn't have to live in this current state of affairs. - James Hamilton James Hamilton can refer to several different persons: Dukes
- Burbank Censure Kennedy Regarding Senator Ted Kennedy's outrageous remarks on the Senate floor - Saddam's torture chambers have been reopened by the United States of America UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The name of this country. The United States, now thirty-one in number, are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, - I think, at the very least, Kennedy should be censured. - Charles Nippell Reseda America's standards Re ``Liberal whining'' (Your Opinions, May 13): According to Dirk Knowles, everyone should just shut up and allow abuse of Iraqi prisoners to continue. A news flash for you, Dirk: We're the country that supposedly holds dignity and honor Dignity and Honor is an alleged organization of former Russian spies. It attracted media attention during the Alexander Litvinenko murder case. in higher regard than other nations. If that is the case, every decent American should be raising his or her voice in outrage at these abuses. And Knowles, your blaming Nick Berg's death on ``liberal idiots'' is unconscionable Unusually harsh and shocking to the conscience; that which is so grossly unfair that a court will proscribe it. When a court uses the word unconscionable to describe conduct, it means that the conduct does not conform to the dictates of conscience. . - Todd Prepsky Northridge Your choice Re ``Liberal whining'' (Your Opinions, May 13): Conservative idiots. Charred corpses, beheadings, prisoners tortured by the ``good guys''; all because you chose to follow a clueless clue·less adj. Lacking understanding or knowledge. clueless Adjective Slang helpless or stupid Adj. 1. president who hides behind his faith and wraps himself in the flag to justify his questionable policies. This ``Grudge War'' is bankrupting our country, the world hates us, and all we got was a lousy tax cut. - Jennifer Rabuchin Burbank Not a liberal idea Re ``Liberal whining'' (Your Opinions, May 13): How dare Dirk Knowles blame anybody in the USA for the decapitation Decapitation See also Headlessness. Antoinette, Marie (1755–1793) queen of France beheaded by revolutionists. [Fr. Hist.: NCE, 1697] Argos lulled to sleep and beheaded by Hermes. [Gk. Myth. of Nicholas Berg. This war was not a liberal idea, it was a conservative's idea. Liberals didn't whine about prisoner abuse, the whole world did, including conservatives. You need a reality check. - Aisha Herrell Los Angeles Tragedy and humor Tragedy and time equals humor. We are the greatest country in the world yet unable to win a war. We have smart bombs that we can send through the enemy's window, yet we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where the enemy lives or even who he is. We've become so politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but that because of the prisoner-abuse scandal, we're going to have to offer them cookies and milk if we want any information out of a detainee de·tain·ee n. A person held in custody or confinement: a political detainee. Noun 1. detainee - some held in custody political detainee , and maybe hope we'll get a crumb of information back. The tragedy is we're afraid to finish something we start, because we can't and won't commit to a war that's longer than six months lest we get bogged down, and start screaming, ``It's another Vietnam.'' The humor is (and sad) we've become the laughingstock laugh·ing·stock n. An object of jokes or ridicule; a butt. Noun 1. laughingstock - a victim of ridicule or pranks goat, stooge, butt April fool - the butt of a prank played on April 1st of other countries who will disrespect us from now on. - Wayne Wolaver Northridge Same defense When the Nuremberg trials Nuremberg Trials surviving Nazi leaders put on trial (1946). [Eur. Hist.: Van Doren, 512] See : Justice were held in 1946, the defendants stated that they were not guilty because they were ``following orders.'' The international tribunal that was conducting the trial stated that this was not a valid defense and the defendants should have disobeyed their orders. Isn't it interesting that this same defense is now being offered almost 50 years later as a defense for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. I wonder if the findings of the court will be similar. - Ed Mehlenbacher Van Nuys Following orders So Lynndie England says she was just following orders when she was shown abusing prisoners. I might have believed her if she hadn't enjoyed it so much. - Arline George Reseda If Kerry were president Sen. John Kerry's pontificating on Iraq would be funny if it weren't so serious. Kerry voted against using military force to remove Iraq from Kuwait back in 1990. Therefore, had Kerry been president then, Saddam would not only still be in Kuwait, but most likely in Saudi Arabia, too (and you think $2.60 per gallon for gas is high). The fact that Kerry supporters can't even answer the question that if Kerry was president in 2000 instead of Bush, would Saddam be in power today, is just as troubling. - Glenn Smith Woodland Hills Shouldn't be tolerated What happened to the Geneva Convention Geneva Convention Declaration of Geneva Global village A standard established in 1864 regarding the conduct of the military towards medical personnel, and obligations of medical personnel during acts of war. ? Any atrocities at American prison camps shouldn't be tolerated. I'm a veteran of World War II. I witnessed firsthand German prisoners being treated with respect and compassion. We allowed them their own cooks and freedom to play soccer and other sports. We understood that many of them were forced into war by the Hitler regime. - Anthony Gigerian Los Angeles Why can't I? When am I going to see the 1,200-some photos of Americans sodomizing, raping and torturing Iraqis in Abu Ghraib that have not been released to the public? Then there is the video of these fun-loving Americans dragging Iraqis around on dog leashes, beating them and piling them up naked that I have not been allowed to see. If the president and the Cabinet and Congress can see these photos and the video, why can't I? After all, I'm a citizen with an impeccable World War II service record. I thought one of the freedoms I was fighting for was the right to know. - George Atkinson Sherman Oaks Make peace Well, President Bush should now admit his little war to find some weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or to help Iraqis change their lives and their government (or perhaps to sign up better oil business) was an error. The lives of our soldiers and soldiers from other countries as well as opponents have been lost for what has turned out to be a terrible mistake for all sides. Now our treatment of some prisoners is causing more slaughter. Bush - now, admit this whole war is not worth any more deaths on either side. Make peace. - Shirley Moore Sherman Oaks |
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